Omaha Events

2012 Value Investor Conference - Omaha - May 3 and 4, 2012.

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  2012 The Genius of Warren Buffett Executive MBA Course April 30 - May 2, 2012
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  Warren Buffett signs poster for the Fall 2011 EMBA Course at UNO.

  Some University of Nebraska at Omaha students recently heard an offer from Warren Buffett:

  "If I gave you a billion dollars ..."

  Of course, Buffett was making a hypothetical statement, illustrating how to know when a business has a "durable competitive advantage" over others in the same industry. If a competitor had a billion dollars, could it steal away your customers?

  It was one lesson among many for the 32 students in a class titled "Genius of Warren Buffett," offered for the first time this fall at UNO's College of Business Administration. The final class session was a two-hour lunch and Q&A with Buffett at the Happy Hollow Country Club.

  Offered through UNO's executive MBA program, the class covers not just Buffett's investing ideas but also his management methods, communications style, philanthropy, character and other aspects of his life. The instructor is Robert Miles, who has written several books about Buffett and Berkshire Hathaway Inc., the Omaha-based investment company Buffett heads.

  The class is under the auspices of finance department Chairman David Volkman, who will grade the students' final papers later this month.

  The billion-dollar "offer" came when Claire Kenkel's team outlined a potential acquisition target for Buffett: the Buckle, a Kearney-based casual clothing retail chain.

  The company met many of Buffett's criteria for purchase: strong return on capital, a family run company, $135 million in annual revenue and a business plan that's difficult for competitors to copy, said Kenkel, who is international marketing manager for an Omaha health care diagnostics company.

  Buffett responded that the team's analysis had hit all the right points, she said. "That was kind of an affirmation that at least we hadn't missed the mark entirely."

  The billion-dollar comment also indicated that competitors would have difficulty taking over the Buckle's market, she said.

  Buffett also pointed out the price-control advantage that some companies have. If Coca-Cola raises the price of each drink it sells by a penny, that's $17 million a day and more than $6 billion a year.

  In all, the UNO students outlined nine companies for Buffett to consider for acquisition. But students kept their comments brief, Kenkel said. "We wanted to maximize the amount of time Warren was speaking. We were there to learn from him."

  In return, the Berkshire CEO bought the lunch — burgers, fries and Cokes.

  "I think he really enjoyed it, and the students really enjoyed seeing how his mind works," Miles said from his home in Sarasota, Fla.

  Of the 32 students, 20 are working on MBAs and 12 are "lifelong learners" not earning college credit. Most were from the Omaha area, but some came from Texas, Missouri, California, Kansas and Illinois.

  Published Omaha World Herald Sunday November 6, 2011 By Steve Jordon
  http://www.omaha.com/article/20111106/MONEY/71106993

•   CNBC Interview August 30, 2011
•   Business Times (Singapore) Published August 15, 2011

Conference Location: University of Nebraska at Omaha, College of Business, Mammel Hall
6708 Pine Street Omaha, NE 68106 (on the corner of Pine and S. 67th St) 
Map and Directions

Accommodations:  Courtyard Omaha Aksarben Village (within walking distance of UNO CBA), 1625 S 67th Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68106.   Phone: (402) 951-4300 
Limited Seating:  Conference registration is limited to 160 delegates to insure exclusivity and greater networking opportunities.

Registration Fee:  Conference registration fee includes lunch. Register online and pay by credit card from most countries. Click here to go to registration page.

Or send check payable to Robert Miles, 4532 W. Kennedy Blvd. #225, Tampa, FL  33609-2042